


Life rarely takes a break

by Kia619



Series: Angstgent 24 [4]
Category: Splatoon
Genre: Action & Romance, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Lesbian Cephalopods (Splatoon), Slice of Life, Spies & Secret Agents, Undercover Missions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:53:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22636249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kia619/pseuds/Kia619
Summary: TIME SKIP! It's been a year since the events of "History and the Future" and things are starting to seem normal again! Three and Eight live together now, shenanigans ensue!
Relationships: Agent 3/Agent 8 (Splatoon)
Series: Angstgent 24 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1466896
Comments: 26
Kudos: 50





	1. A concerning message

**Author's Note:**

> I'M BACK BABY! Sorry for the extended hiatus, life caught up with me and ate more of my time than I expected, I'll be back to my regular update schedule now however so don't worry! Next chapter will be up next sunday!

Eight awoke to the gentle light of the sun brightening the room, and the gentle rise and fall of Three’s chest as her head lays upon it. Eight smiles and snuggles closer to Three, it had been an interesting year to say the least. Her memories were all but completely back, she’d come to terms with most of them by now, and it seemed like things were settling down. She still had various concerns, and her recollection of the events that took place while she was under Octavio’s control were still at least a little bit hazy, but she found she was much happier focusing on where she is now, and the happiness she’s been able to achieve. 

About three months ago, Eight had finally mustered up the courage to ask Three if she wanted her to move in with her. Three was, unsurprisingly, very on board with this idea. Though Three was a little flustered when Eight proposed the idea initially. Moving in with Three wasn’t nearly as stressful of a transition as she had expected, she thought for sure that she would miss things like the size of Pearl and Marina’s house, but she found that she actually preferred the small comfortable apartment that she now shared with her girlfriend. Marina was a little sad to see her go, they are sisters after all, but she knew Eight had to live her life and trying to keep her would’ve only caused the two to drift apart. Marina and Pearl found themselves in Three’s apartment far more often than they had expected to be during this process, as they kept finding things that Three didn’t have that they’d need. Like for example, a mop.

Eight had also started getting into music, or rather, get back into it. She had written and sung a handful of tracks during her time as an Octoling Rebel, with the help of her second in command, who provided assistance with lyrics as well as performing the guitar tracks while Eight did the singing. She started by re-singing her old rebel songs, with Marina’s help re-creating the backtrack. Eventually however she did start trying new songs, and even found herself writing more. She’d always had a fondness for poetry, and really enjoyed how well poems seemed to translate to musical lyrics. Marina had gifted her a new laptop when she moved out so that she could both keep in touch and work on her music more freely.

Finally, as the sun brightened the room even more, Three slowly began to wake from her sleep as well, rubbing her eyes and looking down at the Octoling currently cuddled into her. Three had gotten quite used to Eight cuddling her like this, but it still made her a little flushed every time she woke up like this. Three wasn’t going to complain however, as she did greatly enjoy the contact and the warmth. Three smiled and rubbed Eight’s head gently, prompting a gentle purr from Eight, causing Three to smile wider and blush lightly. She leans down and kisses Eight’s head, seemingly very satisfied with the position the two of them awoke in.

“Good morning sleepy head” Eight purrs, not wanting to move from her spot, nestled comfortably against Three for warmth. She nuzzles her head against Three’s chest, her arms wrapping tighter around Three’s body to hold her closer as she lets out a light coo.

“Good morning love.” Three replies, gently rubbing Eight’s ear prompting another purr from the girl. Three giggles and presses another kiss to Eight’s head, both of them now purring happily. Three continues gently rubbing Eight’s ear and enjoying the little coos and purrs that she makes in response to it, really, Three just enjoys being so close to Eight and sharing their warmth like this.

The two remain laid down, cuddled into one another, today was supposed to be a day off for the both of them, to take some time to relax. No agent work, no turf wars, no battles of any kind, just a simple lazy day for the two of them, and they couldn’t have been more excited. They were starting right now with their refusal to get out of bed until one of them became hungry enough that hunger outshined comfort. This was their plan at least, until Three’s phone began ringing. Normally, Three would ignore her phone in situations like this, but it was Callie’s ringtone, meaning something was definitely up.

“Ugh… I’ll see what’s going on.” Three grumbles as she reluctantly rolls away from Eight, snagging her phone and answering it. Her tone indicates that she’s annoyed but she refrains from directly complaining outright, as she doesn’t yet know why Callie is calling. “What is it Cals? I thought Eight and I had today off.”

“I know, I know, I’m sorry… but we need you to come in, both of you… we’re picking up a signal and it’s making everyone nervous, even Octavio is uncomfortable.” Callie replies, her voice sounds shaken like whatever it was caused her great fear. Three sighs, clearly disappointed at the loss of her lazy day, but she nods to herself as she understands the reasoning. The tone in Callie’s voice is enough to tell Three that their plans, or rather lack thereof, need to be put on hold.

“Alright… just give us a bit to get ready, we’ll be there.” Three says into her phone, ending the call and turning to Eight with a sigh, an apologetic look on her face as she explains to her lover the situation. Granted she doesn’t have very many details herself, but she does know that Eight will understand, or at least she hopes she will. “Something’s come up, they need us to come in.”

Eight sighs and lays back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Somehow she knew something like this would happen, she could smell it in the air. Three had already gotten out of bed and was setting out her agent gear. She was probably going to shower soon too which meant Eight would have a little bit of time to get her things situated before it was her turn to clean herself. Eight mentally recalls where her agent outfit is so she can set it out once she’s out of bed. She’d offer to join Three in the shower but they didn’t have that kind of time. She’d have to save that for later.

“I’m sorry about this… I was really looking forward to having an “us” day.” Three sighs as she tosses aside the tank top she’d been wearing as she heads for the bathroom. Eight can’t help but stare a little at the older agent, her muscles defined yet not overpowering, the various scars that lined her body also gave character to the otherwise plain skin of her body. Three knew Eight was looking and frankly she welcomed it, she liked how Eight seemed to enjoy her scars, it made her feel more confident in herself. Eight actually quite liked the look of Three’s bare back, just something about the way her body looked from that angle made her flushed every time she saw it.

“Don’t worry too much about it love, these things happen.” Eight smiles, blushing lightly from the sight in front of her, she’s got no shame in eyeing up her lover and Three seems to have no shame showing herself off to her. “I’m sure we’ll get another chance soon.”

Three smiled and nodded before finally entering the bathroom and closing the door. Eight sat up and stretched her arms, letting out a soft yawn as she does. She tosses aside the covers and sets her feet on the ground, pushing herself up and making her way over to the closet to get out her own agent uniform. She pulls it off the hanger and brushes it off, making sure there’s no dust or other debris on it. She smiles softly as she looks over it, remembering how she had sworn Marie to secrecy when she had asked for it to be made so she could surprise Three with it. She sets it on a nearby chair, along with her shorts and her headset. She discards her own sleep clothes to the hamper so they can be washed as she waits for her turn to use the bathroom.

After a few short minutes, Three finishes in the bathroom and Eight has her turn. As Three walks out and Eight walks in, she takes a moment to give Three a quick peck on the lips, causing the both of them to smile and blush. Eight could tell Three was checking her out as she walked past her into the bathroom, and Eight loved how clear the blush on Three’s face is. Eight then quickly enters the bathroom and shuts the door behind her. She quickly cleans herself in the shower, wishing she could spend more time relaxing under the gentle rain of hot water. She finishes her preparations and heads into the bedroom, drying herself off and putting on her hero suit. Once she’s got everything situated she goes to put her tentacles back in their ponytail but… where’s her tie?

“Looking for this?” Three smirks, holding Eight’s hair tie and waving it around slightly, a gentle blush across her face. She gestures for Eight to sit in front of her. “Let me do it for you.”   
  
Eight blushes but nods, Three gently but quickly pulls up Eight’s tentacles, wrapping the tie around them to keep them in place. Once they’re situated properly Eight turns around and gives Three a quick peck on the lips.

“Thanks love, now let's go see what’s so important that we had to get out of bed before noon today.” Eight snickers and heads for the door, with Three following close behind.

\--

They arrive in Octo Canyon and find that  _ everyone _ is there. Even Pearl and Marina. Eight and Three are confused when they arrive but sensing their befuddlement, Marie quickly greets them and briefs them on the situation.

“Hi, thanks for coming in… I’m really sorry about taking your day off from you, but this is important.” Marie says, worry plastered across her expression. She looks almost like she didn’t sleep, and given how early it is, there’s a good chance that she didn’t.

“What’s going on Marie? We know you wouldn’t call us in unless it was big, so what’s going down?” Three asks, smiling to Marie to reassure her as best she can, but Three herself is already feeling the effects of the signal and feels her confidence wavering.

“We’ve received a transmission of some kind… we can’t identify where it came from or who might’ve sent it, we had to call Marina in to hopefully decipher it since she had the technical know-how to get a job like that done. But, the signal just makes us all uneasy.” Marie states, she’s holding her arms crossed and her eyes are painted with worry. They can feel the tension in the air as well, and the signal feels like the source, almost like it’s causing their minds to exude worry.

Three and Eight nod as they make their way over to the rest of the group with Marie following close behind. Three spots Jay and gives her a quick smile and wave, which Jay quickly returns. Eight and Three then take their seats just as Marina seems to finish decoding the message, as she has a satisfied look on her face.

“Okay I think I’ve got it!” Marina smiles and hooks her laptop into the speakers that were set up. She tacks a few commands into her laptop before setting it to play the decoded message, which only serves to make everyone even more uneasy. The message comes through, it’s fuzzy like an old phonograph, but the words it speaks are clear if a bit robotic.

“ **We… Return… I… Live… No… Escape… Our… Destiny… To… Destroy…** ” 

Everyone’s hearts sink, what could that possibly mean? Even Octavio seems increasingly uneasy about the contents of the message. Despite now having translated the message, it still felt like they were missing something, like there was something staring them in the face that they weren’t seeing. Marie is tapping her thumb against her chin, she’s pondering everything that they know and glancing between everyone present.

“I think… we’re not getting the full picture here.” Marie breaks the deafening silence, walking to a space where everyone can turn to see her easily. “There’s still a lot of noise, you can all hear it. Either there’s another signal buried in the one Marina translated, or somehow she wasn’t able to decode the whole thing.”   
  
“Marie, you aren’t suggesting what I think you’re suggesting are you?” Callie asks, clearly uneasy about what Marie seems to be implying. Marie shamefully looks back to her and simply shakes her head.

“We have no choice Cals, we need him.” Marie answers, looking none too happy about the decision either. She crosses her arms tighter and sighs, she’d hoped that with Marina here they wouldn’t need his help anymore.

“Wait, Marie, what are you talking about?” Jay interjects, glancing between Callie and Marie, about as lost as everyone who isn’t the two of them.

Callie and Marie exchange a glance, sharing a silent but quick conversation. Callie finally nods and Marie goes on to explain.

“Okay so here’s the long and the short of it. We need to know why there’s still so much noise in the message despite Marina’s best efforts to translate it, and there’s only one cephalopod I know who’s better than Marina at things like this. His name is Zod. He owns the End of Line club which is hosting an event in… just over a week.” Marie explains, once again tapping her thumb against her chin. “Callie and I can’t go, we’d be recognized too easily and we’d never get to actually talk to Zod about anything.”

“I’ll do it.” Three stands, being joined quickly by Eight who intertwines her fingers with her own.

“I’ll do it too.” Eight smiles at Three who blushes lightly. 

Marie ponders for a moment, but after considering her options she quickly nods. Jay isn’t subtle enough for undercover work, and Pearl and Marina have the same problem that herself and Callie have being popular idols. Three and Eight really are their only option for this mission.

“It’s decided then, I’ll get you all the information you need for your mission. I’ll deliver it to your apartment by the end of the day tomorrow.” Marie nods and turns to Marina. “Copy down that message, both the raw data and your translation. It might prove useful.”

Marina nods and gets to work copying everything to a thumb drive. Finally with the air no longer thick with worry, everyone seems to calm down at least slightly. They have a plan finally and they’re going to enact it. Hopefully from here on out, things start going in their favour.


	2. Take my hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three and Eight have been chosen to go on the undercover mission to find out what they don't know about the transmission they intercepted, but they've encountered an unexpected snag that will put a large delay on their preparations.

Agent 3 and Agent 8 only had a week to prepare to meet the contact that Marie had spoken of, and so they were going over the important details of the event from the dress code down to how they were going to get by security. Three insisted that Eight find some way to bring a weapon in, but Eight said she couldn’t figure out a feasible way to get any into the venue. They were sat together at the kitchen table in their apartment, plans laid out in front of them, even schematics of the building the event was being held in just in case they needed it. Certain things on the schematics were circled like the elevator shaft and the bar, to be used as points of retreat should things get hairy. But there was one issue that Eight hadn’t expected, and it was such a specific detail that she hadn’t even considered it until Three brought it up.

“What do you MEAN you don’t know how to dance?!” Eight snickered, finding Three’s frustration mildly cute. Three had been trying to be more open about her emotions but she was still somewhat stoic more often than she should be, so for her to have a moment of pure emotion like this was something Eight had to take advantage of. She was careful not to take her teasing too far however, she knew that Three did still have some self confidence issues, even if she claims she doesn’t.

“I never had to before! I usually just nodded my head to the music and everyone around me was happy!” Three grumbled, crossing her arms and pouting, turning away from Eight slightly, she’s not mad but she is at least slightly upset. She’s also trying to play it off that the fact she doesn’t know how to dance isn’t something that bothers her when in reality she’s always wanted to learn, she just never found the time before.

Eight calmed her laughing and grabbed Three’s hand, she found the whole predicament rather funny but she still didn’t want to actually upset her partner. She rubbed Three’s hand with her thumb and smiled at her, still stifling some giggles, but she does her best to reassure her. Eight smiles the warm familiar smile she has that always seems to help Three calm down somewhat, and slowly Three does relax. Finally after a few moments of calming her mind, she’s facing Eight properly once again.

“Well, Marina insisted on teaching me how… rather thoroughly actually… I-I could teach you!” Eight’s giggles are replaced by excitement, she really wants to give something to Three to thank her for everything that she’s done for her, and teaching her how to dance sounds perfect. Eight is blushing slightly and squeezes Three’s hand to hopefully get her to agree to the idea, she desperately wants to do something like this for Three and she sincerely hopes Three will let her.

Three blushes visibly at the prospect, squeezing Eight’s hand lightly as she weighs the options in her mind. They need to go on this mission and they need to make sure their cover isn’t blown, and she can see no alternative to the proposal Eight has given. At the very least, it does mean she and Eight will get to spend some time doing things together, they could even pretend it’s a date or something instead of being agent work. Three really hopes that Eight isn’t too hard on her if she struggles though, she doesn’t want to make a fool of herself after all. Finally, after a few moments of pondering, Three looks Eight in the eyes and nods.

“Okay, let’s do it.” Three smiles through her blush, a little worried that her body won’t want to move the way it’s supposed to or that she’ll step on Eight’s feet over and over again, but she’s also excited to have something to do with her partner. She pushes aside her worries for the moment and decides to focus solely on Eight, and how excited the Octoling seems to be at the prospect of teaching her how to dance.

Eight smiles wide and bounces lightly, she’s clearly very excited and is very unable to hide it. She grabs Three’s wrists and quickly leads her into the living room. Three blushes harder as Eight leads her, she hadn’t expected Eight to want to get started so suddenly, but she supposes that given the tight time constraints, it’s a reasonable course of action. That, and the fact that Eight looks like she’s about to explode from excitement, allows Three to calm her racing thoughts and simply smile as Eight starts examining the space in the living room.    
  
“Okay, first thing’s first, we need space so lets move the couch and coffee table out of the way.” Eight pecks Three on the cheek and then goes and moves the coffee table to the other side of the room as Three pushes the couch back as well, giving them plenty of space to work. The couch now sits slightly into the kitchen but at least it’s out of the way, which means they’ll have plenty of space to work on teaching Three how dancing works. Eight was still impressed by Three’s strength, she’d moved the couch like she was just pushing a small chair out of the way.

Once they have enough room, Eight slyly grabs Three’s hips and quickly pulls her into a kiss. Eight wants to set a gentle mood for helping her girlfriend learn how to dance properly, or at the very least, well enough that she won’t look out of place on their upcoming undercover mission. But Eight doesn’t want to focus on the upcoming mission, rather she wants to savor this moment where she and her lover can spend time in each other’s arms. Finally she breaks the kiss and smiles, the two of them blushing hard. Eight leans in and pecks Three on the nose causing them to both giggle. Eight takes a half step back, keeping her arms around Three, and begins the instructional process.

“Alright, we’ll go over some basic steps first, and then once we have that down we’ll add some music and see how well you can keep with the timing of the music alright?” Eight asks, still holding Three’s hips and smiling. Eight knows exactly the type of dance she’s going to teach Three and she can’t wait to get started.

“Alright that sounds good to me.” Three replies, happy to do whatever Eight needs her to do. Then Three has a quick thought that makes her blush hard, but she manages to push the blush back slightly when she voices this thought to Eight. “Since you’re teaching me… and you seem to have taken charge already… I think maybe you should lead.”

Eight giggles and nods, keeping one of her hands on Three’s hip and using her other to guide one of Three’s hands to her shoulder, their now free hands interlocking with each other. Eight slowly shows Three the steps she needs to take for a basic waltz. Three clearly struggles at first, getting frustrated as her feet won’t move the way they’re supposed to, but gradually, over time, she does start to get the hang of it. Eight reassuring Three that she’s learning and that she’s improving does help keep Three from giving up, and even helped to keep her more focused on the fact that she’s catching on quickly, rather than focusing on the missteps. Three actually manages to start enjoying herself somewhat, even though she’s still slightly frustrated with herself for not having at least looked up a video tutorial about how to dance ever in the past.

Three gets the hang of the dance rather quickly once she finally figures out how to step properly in time with Eight, and soon she’s giggling and smiling as her and Eight dance in rhythm with each other. Eight smiles and squeezes Three’s hand as they dance. Eight is very proud of Three for both how well she’s doing, and for the fact that she’s managed to not lose her motivation. Three’s doing an astounding job. Eight realizes that Three is now probably ready for something a little more advanced than just the basic “stepping in time” and Eight smirks as the idea crosses her mind.

“Okay, I think you’ve got the basics, now comes the fun part, I’m going to try twirling you.” Eight says as she looks into Three’s eyes. Three looks nervous but Eight takes her hand off of Three’s hip and strokes her face gently to reassure her. “You’ll do fine, just let your body follow as I spin your arm, and you should naturally do the twirl.”

Three nervously nods and Eight puts her hand back on Three’s hip, gently leading her to the same dance moves as before, and looking to her eye’s and giving her a questioning look to ask if she’s ready for the twirl. Three again gives a nervous nod. Gently Eight guides Three into the twirl, and unlike with the waltz itself, Three seems to nail it instantly.

“You did it! I’m so proud of you!” Eight beams, excited about how quickly Three is catching on. She can’t help herself and she pulls Three closer placing a quick kiss to her lips. The two smile at each other, Three giggles and blushes, proud of herself for how much she’s progressed, and grateful to Eight for being so patient and teaching her so well, especially when she’d get frustrated and need to be reassured. She gently nuzzles into Eight and presses a kiss to her neck. 

“Thank you so much Eight, I never could’ve learned this without you.” Three smiles warmly, enjoying how much time she’s gotten to spend just being intimate and close with her girlfriend despite how this is all technically still agent work. She pushes that thought to the back of her mind however, she wants to remember this as just a moment of her and Eight being together, a moment that maybe she’ll recall if and when there comes a time when one of them presents a ring to the other. But for right now, Three just focuses on how happy she is in this moment.

“You’re welcome Three. Now, there’s one more thing, we need to do it to music. Did you perhaps have any ideas what song our first proper dance together should be to?” Eight asks, pressing a quick kiss to Three’s cheek. She smiles reassuringly, as if to say that no matter what song Three chooses, Eight will be happy to dance to. Eight doesn’t know what song she would personally choose for this moment, so having Three decide is both useful, and adorable.

Three blushes and ponders for a moment, her mind running through every song she’s heard and trying to find the one that has the correct tone and beat for the type of dance that Eight has instructed her on. Then her eyes light up as a song comes right to her mind. It’s a song that has a lot of meaning to her personally, and she really hopes Eight finds a connection with it too after they share this dance.

“How about… Maritime Memory?” Three asks through a blush, she’d been secretly hoping to dance with Eight to this song for ages, she just never found the time to take dance lessons to be able to, but the opportunity has now just fallen on her lap and she has to take it. She had considered trying to hold off on using the song until the night of the mission, but there was still an off chance they wouldn’t even get to or have to dance on the mission. Three had to seize this opportunity now.

“Maritime Memory, sounds perfect, just like you.” Eight winks before going to Three’s TV and hooking her phone into it and starting the song. She set up a brief buffer so they’d have a few moments before the actual song itself started to get going, allowing them to get back into their dance position. “You ready?”

Three nods and takes position as the song fades in, following Eight’s lead as they step in time to the beat of the music as it fills the apartment. Three’s nervousness quickly fades as she finds herself naturally following along, the beat of the music allowing her to keep her steps in time with relative ease. Eight throws some curveballs at her by twirling her occasionally, however Three seems to have no issues returning to following the beat properly every time. Finally as the song nears its conclusion, Eight does something she  _ didn’t _ prepare Three for, as the final notes of the song play, Eight sweeps Three’s legs out from under her, catching her and gently dipping her. Three panicked slightly but once she realized what Eight was doing she simply blushed.

“Hey there cutie” Eight smirks and then presses a kiss to Three’s lips before helping her stand, keeping their lips pressed together the whole time. Finally once they’ve been standing for a few moments their lips gently separate as they both look at each other with love in their eyes and a blush on their faces. One of Eight’s arms was around Three’s neck, the other around her waist, and her nose was just inches away from Three’s own as the two look deep into the other’s eyes.

“Wow, that was… incredible.” Three says, still processing everything that just happened, and possibly wanting to have more of it in the near future as well. Her heart was racing and her face was bright orange.

“I have to agree, you learned so quickly I had to do something to catch you off guard.” Eight giggles, pressing another quick peck to Three’s lips. Her own blush painted plainly across her face as well.

“You succeeded, but I think I liked it anyways.” Three giggles, returning the gesture quickly. Eight had been building her confidence and Three was showing her that it was paying off, Three was more than happy to show Eight just how much the girl meant to her.

“So what now my dear?” Eight asks, still holding Three’s hips and standing close. Eight didn’t want to let go but she also wanted to perhaps… move somewhere more comfortable for the two of them than standing in the middle of their living room.

“Well, I think we’re adequately prepared for the undercover part of the mission now since I now know how to dance properly… and we’ve got a few more days to go over the rest of the mission’s details… why don’t we call it a night early?” Three blushes and pecks Eight on the cheek. She smiles and bites her lip, hoping that Eight will accept the invitation.

Eight smirks and kisses Three on the lips deeply before leaning down and grabbing her legs and her shoulders, carrying her towards the bedroom. Kicking the door closed behind them. She sets Three down on the bed and presses a long, loving kiss to her lips as she climbs on top of her. 

“Why don’t I give you a reward for being so good while I taught you how to dance.” Eight giggles and smirks as she presses another kiss to Three’s lips, and the two of them melt into each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's called ANGSTgent 24 and I keep injecting FLUFF but don't worry, we'll get to the proper angst soon, it's just better if you're emotionally invested in these characters. c:


	3. End of line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three and Eight go on their undercover mission and try to find out the true meaning of the transmission the Splatoon intercepted.

Eight and Three were putting the finishing touches on their outfits. Three hated that she needed to look so dressed up but she figured getting to see Eight dolled up the same way would make it all worth it. Three was in the bathroom in her bedroom, she’s got a bag of makeup next to her that Marie had provided, and Eight had helped her learn how to apply. Three guessed that after this mission she’d likely never need it again, but she also wasn’t planning on throwing it away either. Eight was in the half bathroom which connected to the living room, doing the same prep that Three was doing for their mission.

Three, for probably the first time in her entire life, was applying lipstick, it was subtle but it did give her lips a gentle sheen, and darkened the shade a couple degrees. Her entire application of makeup was something she’d never done actually, from the eyelashes to the eyeliner, to the foundation and gentle blush she’d applied. She found it interesting how well her makeup even covered up her scar. If you looked closely you could still see the imperfections in the skin that resulted from the santization sludge burning against her face, but at a glance you’d never notice.

Finally once she was satisfied with how she looked, she turned away from her bathroom mirror and grabbed her belt off the towel rack where she’d left it when she started getting ready, cinching it tight around her waist. Once it was secure she pushed her way out of the bathroom that was inside her bedroom, and then into the living room from her bedroom, now just waiting for Eight to finish getting ready as well.

Three’s look was now complete. Her tentacles were pulled back to the back of her head in a pseudo ponytail, though a little bit of them were still present at the front of her head as a result of where they grow from. Her face was gently painted with makeup, just enough that she wouldn’t look out of place on the mission, but still lightly enough that she still looked like herself. Her body was adorned in a beautiful black dress which had only one shoulder strap, the other side leaving her shoulder completely exposed. The dress was interrupted at her waist by the belt she had just put on, it was similarly black and made of a similar material so it blended well, but it had a gold plated clasp that added a touch of metallic colour to the overall look. Finally the rest of her dress fell to just after her knees. Her feet were adorned in glossy black flats with no socks to complete the look. 

Eight stepped out of the bathroom connected solely to the living room shortly after, a similar application of makeup on her face, however her outfit was dramatically different. Eight opted for a fitted suit rather than a dress, the jacket, pants, and tie all a brilliant purple that seemed to match her iris colour. Her dress shirt was a simple white but its simplicity complimented the brilliant purple of the rest of her outfit wonderfully. Her lips were matched to the same colour as it as well, showing a bit more adventurous nature than Three. However since Three has never worn makeup before, she’s still being quite adventurous, at least by her own standards.

Three looked at Eight and blushed hard as she saw her, she looked absolutely stunning. Her outfit complimented her figure perfectly. It didn’t hug every curve but it wasn’t meant to, rather it fit so that just enough of her body shape was shown despite no actual skin being visible. Three was absolutely enamored by her beauty and her blush and staring were proof of this. Eight notices Three staring and giggles.

“I take it you like my outfit?” Eight teases, blowing Three a kiss and blushing lightly, enjoying the attention her girlfriend is giving her despite how important the coming mission is. She manages a smile and strikes a pose to show off her outfit to Three even more.

“I don’t know how you did it, you somehow became even more beautiful than you already were.” Three flirts through her own blush, smiling as her girlfriend rolls her eyes. Three now knew two very important things. One, Eight looks amazing in a suit. Two, if Eight continues to tease and flirt with her like this, she’s going to melt.

“You look absolutely gorgeous as always, even if your beautiful face is somewhat covered by that makeup.” Eight giggles prompting Three to roll her own eyes. Eight knew Three never wore makeup so she had to poke fun at her for it at least once. Three also appreciated the way in which Eight went about the poking fun, because it helped her feel confident in herself how she liked being, which Eight knew Three secretly cared about a lot.

“You’re a butt. Are you ready to go? I… kinda want to get this mission over with, we’re still due to have our actual lazy day.” Three sheepishly rubs her neck, a little embarrassed to admit that she wants a proper day off but knowing Eight will agree with her. They hadn’t had the chance to relax since the message came through so they were both very eager to get this over with so they could get back to being normal cephalopods.

“Yeah let’s go, this guy better have the intel we need. That message on its own concerns me… I hope it isn’t what I think it is.” Eight replies, idly staring at the floor for a moment before shaking her head and offering her arm to her girlfriend. “Shall we go my dear?”

“We shall.” Three smiles and takes Eight’s arm, not asking what Eight meant because Three frankly didn’t want to know. She wanted to know the truth and nothing else, speculation would serve her no benefit, it would simply cause her to worry about potentially the wrong thing.

They head out of Three’s apartment and lock the door behind them. Unlike when they would normally go on a date, they weren’t heading to the roof to the launchpad. This time they were instead headed to the ground where Marie had arranged a ride for them. Three felt like it was all a bit extravagant and indulgent, but it’s what’s expected and since they’re trying to blend in, it’s what they need to do. What Three hadn’t expected was just how  _ nice _ their ride was going to be. Marie had reserved and paid for a stretch limo for them to ride in, and Three was stunned. She expected maybe a luxury sedan with a chauffeur, not, well, this.

“That’s a bit overkill isn’t it?” Three asks, still holding Eight’s arm.

“I’m sure Marie has her reasons for this… but yeah it is a little much.” Eight agrees, but neither of them is going to complain. Their chauffeur opens the door for them so they can enter the vehicle. Three scoots in first allowing Eight to follow shortly after. 

The ride over is fairly uneventful, save for a few quick pecks shared by the two lovers in the back of the limo. They would properly kiss but they were trying to not smudge their makeup so they settled for small shows of affection. They sat together and held each other’s hand as the vehicle pulled up to the location. The movement of their ride stops and within a moment the door is opening and their chauffeur is gesturing for them to get out. Eight steps out first and offers her hand to Three to assist her, which Three graciously accepts. The two head towards the entrance as their chauffeur returns to the driver’s seat and drives away. The two approach the door and the greeter spots them, smiling and welcoming them to the venue.

“Welcome to the End of Line club! Can I get your names?” The greeter asks, ready to flip through his book of names to ensure the two are indeed on the list. He does pause when he looks at Eight, like he sees something he recognizes but just can’t quite put his finger on. Fortunately for him, Eight quickly pipes up.

“Kiaria Ida and Alex Narakai.” Eight says, rolling her tongue around her mouth after, as though their real names felt weird to say, which to be fair, they did. Three was only really called Alex by her cousin Jay, and Eight was so used to being called, well, Eight, that her real name sounded strange to her. It barely even came out of her mouth right, and Three visibly felt a little weird hearing Eight say both of their real names out loud.

“I-Ida?! Oh excuse me for not recognizing you miss, your resemblance to Marina is uncanny now that I’ve got a proper look. Go on in, you and your date have a wonderful evening!” The greeter pushes a button and the doors open, allowing Eight and Three to enter. They say their thank you’s before heading through the doors into the club.

The first thing the two notice when they enter is the atmosphere, there seems to be a lot more focus on an electronic vibe than they were expecting. The floor seems to be made of square panels that give off a gentle white light, with minimal lighting from above. Fortunately their attire was more than appropriate as most people in attendance were in similar outfits to theirs. The second thing they noticed was how high up they were. The elevator ride to the top of the building hadn’t felt too long however it seemed like they were fifty storeys into the air. A fall from that height would mean more than a splat, chances are they wouldn’t even be able to sync with a spawn pad due to the distance fallen at terminal velocity. Fortunately the venue was enclosed on all sides by what looked like fairly thick glass. They walked onto the floor and strode towards the bar, they took their seats next to each other as the bartender noticed them and finished drying the cup in his hands before setting it down.

“Hello there, what can I get for you?” He asks as he walks over to them, looking between Eight and Three waiting for one of them to reply.

“We’d like to speak with Zod” Eight states, causing the bartender to pause for a moment. The bartender leans against the bar table, moving in closely to the two of them to speak more privately despite the public location.

“What business do you have with him?” He squints suspiciously as he looks at the two of them.

“Just tell him that agents Three and Eight of the Squidbeak Splatoon would like to speak with him, Agent Two sends her regards.” Three stares him in the eyes as a realization dawns across his face. He quickly straightens up and tugs his shirt to straighten it as well.

“Right, I will just… go tell him you’re here.” He turns and leaves the bar, leaving Three and Eight to sit and wait for someone to return.

“So this guy seems to have some connections, but it’s good to know we still have at least a little pull because of the Splatoon.” Three chuckles, looking over to her partner who seems to have a rather concerned look on her face. “Eight? What is it?”   
  
Eight shakes her head, dismissing the thought that troubled her. She thought she saw a symbol from her past, but it was gone before she could confirm or deny her suspicions. She decides it’s best just to let it go.

“Nothing, it’s fine. I thought I saw something, but I was probably just seeing things.” Eight smiles unconvincingly, she’s still on edge. However before Three can get a word in, the bartender is returning to the two of them. He’s walking at a brisk pace and has his arms behind him, coming to a stop once he’s close enough to them for them to hear him.

“Please come with me, Zod will see you now.” The bartender gestures towards another elevator that will no doubt take them to the booth that overlooks the entire club. Exactly the kind of place that the owner of said club would likely reside if he were present.

Three and Eight follow him to the elevator and he uses his key card along with a pin number to activate it, allowing them to enter and ride up. The elevator dings and the doors open, allowing them to enter the room. Across from them is a large desk which sits by the window that overlooks the club, there was a private bar to their left, and a lounge area with a couch and a TV to their right. On the opposite side of the desk to them there was a chair that faced away from them, it looked as though there was a figure occupying it. Without turning around initially, a voice calls out to them from the chair.

“So, the infamous Agent’s Three and Eight.” The chair turns and a figure is revealed to them as the light shines on his body. He’s a hair taller than Three if his height while sitting is any indication, he’s wearing a pressed and fitted black suit with white shirt and black tie, the tentacles atop his head are pulled back into a ponytail, much like many male Inklings do, however his eye mask is a closer match to the male  _ Octolings _ Three and Eight have encountered. “You know, I was expecting agents with your reputation to be a little…  _ older _ .”

“So you’re Zod… you’re shorter than I expected.” Three retorts, she’s not going to be teased without retaliation. She crosses her arms and gives him a snarky expression which prompts him to simply roll his eyes.

“Charming, just like Marie.” Zod stands and walks around his desk, making his way towards them. He has his arms crossed behind his back as he walks towards the pair of Cephalopods in his office.

“Three, we have a job to do, please try not to upset him.” Eight puts her hand on Three’s arm to calm her, however she is trying to stifle a giggle as Three’s retort was genuinely funny.

“So, what brings you to my doorstep, certainly if Marie had wanted a chat she’d have come herself, so it must be something important.” Zod crosses his arms and stands in front of them. Their previous assumptions about his height were confirmed, he’s barely taller than Three by a small margin. 

“We intercepted… a transmission of some kind, but we can’t figure out who sent it.” Eight pulls a small thumb drive out of her pocket, holding it up for Zod to see. “This contains the raw transmission as well as what Marina was able to translate, Marie said you might be able to discern where the transmission came from.”

He snags the drive out of Eight’s hand and walks over to his computer, plugging it in and listening to both the raw transmission and the translated one. He taps his thumb against his chin as he ponders the audio his ears have just processed. He types a couple things into the keyboard on his computer and then pops the drive out of it. 

“Marina’s translation was only partial, there were words missing from it. I was able to get the entire message by instead of filtering out what might be considered noise and isolating it, the message is contained within that.” He hands the thumb drive back to Eight who pockets it quickly.

“So then what’s the actual message?” Three asks, crossing her arms impatiently.

“We will return, for I still live. There is no escape from our destiny. To the end of time your kind we will destroy.” He says plainly, but he doesn’t let them ask anything as he continues. “There was also another message buried within it that I don’t quite understand… 10,008, vengeance will be served.”

Eight and Three take defensive stances, both very unnerved by these words. Zod notices their uneasiness and rolls his eyes gently.

“Ladies, relax. I am prepared to do anything in my power to help you here.” He does a grandiose bow which only serves to heighten the tension in the room. He then turns and walks over to the window behind him, and he looks through it almost like he’s expecting something. “Now, I’ve got my computer attempting to identify the source of the signal. No doubt you’ll want transport to the location once I’ve found out where it is, and you may also need forged passports to get you through any checkpoints unquestioned, not an easy task in today’s climate…”

He turns and faces them again, smiling widely.

“Ladies, this is going to be quite a ride.” He smirks, and the glass ceiling over top of the main club area shatters. Various figures land as the cubes of tempered glass fall around them, and suddenly Three and Eight realize, they’ve been set up.


	4. Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three and Eight have been double crossed! They've got to fight their way out of the club now, but how will they do it?

Three and Eight instantly recognize the figures that dropped in, sanitized octoling elites. The club occupants scream in terror and quickly run off and clear out, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire of the inevitable brawl that is coming. Three pulls a small disc out of her pocket and throws it at the window behind Zod, it latches on and the lights on it quickly create a circle before flashing three times. With a loud POP the pane of glass shatters, Zod stands out of the way and almost gestures for them to run past him as Three and Eight leap through it into action. 

“The game has changed, Agents of the Splatoon!” Zod announces from the now shattered window to his office as he laughs maniacally at the chaotic scene before him. He wasn’t trying to find the source of the signal at all, he was merely stalling to get them caught in this trap that had been set for them. Whether he orchestrated it himself or only allowed it to be played out didn’t matter at this moment, it was time for Three and Eight to act.

Three dodges a swing from an OctoBrush and grabs the Octoling Elite by the strap of their ink tank, quickly elbowing them in the face and sliding the ink tank off of them. She dumps the contents of sanitized ink on the ground and straps the tank to her back, reaching under the skirt of her dress and pulling out a set of dualies that were strapped to her legs. The ink tank quickly begins filling with Orange ink as Three throws down a table to use as cover, ducking behind it quickly.

Eight dodges a barrage of shots from an OctoShot and sweeps the legs out from her assailant, stealing their ink tank and doing the same as Three. Eight grabs the discarded OctoBrush from the Octoling Three defeated and quickly it becomes coated with her ink, which she shifted to orange as to not accidentally harm Three. Eight rolls out of the way of a roller swing and finds herself behind the same table Three knocked over for cover.

“Well, this is certainly more eventful than I expected.” Eight says to Three as splashes of sanitized ink impact the table they’re ducked behind.

“I told you to bring a weapon!” Three smirks before dodge rolling out from behind the table and taking a few shots before quickly rolling back to cover. “It seems more are coming, we’re not going to be able to hold out for too long, and I don’t think there’s a spawnpoint near enough to sync to.”

“We’ve got this, don’t worry.” Eight smiles reassuringly, tossing a splat bomb over the table into the group of Sanitized Octolings that are attacking them.

A Sanitized Octoling rounds the table with a roller, ready to strike but their form explodes into ink quickly as Eight slaps them with her brush several times before they can swing down, and their roller clatters against the ground. Eight quickly kicks it aside and looks over at Three who’s just dispatched another Octoling, their weapon clattering against the ground as their form explodes into ink. Three kicks the weapon aside and ducks to avoid a shot from another Octoling before using one of her arms to push the attacker’s weapon away from her and the other to aim a dualie right at the attackers head, pulling the trigger and causing them to explode into ink as well.

Three once again rolls out from cover and this time she charges towards the attackers, using her the dodgeroll’s her dualies give her to great effect. A roller swings down towards her and she quickly rolls to their left and points the dualies at the attacker, spraying the ink at them until they become another ink stain on the ground. She doesn’t get a break however as they don’t seem to stop coming, she dodges a shot from an OctoShot and throws a splat bomb to divide the attackers. Eight uses the opening to take out several of the Sanitized Octolings while Three takes care of the other group that split due to the bomb. But quickly they’re overwhelmed, nearly surrounded and running out of ink in their ink tanks. They are back to back and doing their best to protect each other from the attackers.

Just when it seemed that they had no escape, and hope seemed to have run out, the lights flicker and dim, and a dynamo roller comes crashing down in the middle of the group of sanitized Octolings attempting to subdue Three and Eight. They retain their defensive stance just in case this new person is hostile towards them as well, but are at least thankful to not be the center of attention for the Sanitized Octolings anymore.

Zod, who’s been watching the whole fight from his office notices the new figure and frowns, quickly turning and walking deeper into the office away from the shattered window as to hopefully not be noticed by the person who’s just showed up to assist Three and Eight. Fortunately for him, their attention seems to be on the Sanitized Octolings on the club floor rather than his dumbass.

“HRRAAAAA!” The distinctly female voice shouts as the roller swings aggressively, once to the left as the ink coated portion splats several Octolings while the metal cap on the end sends one flying into the opposite wall. Then it quickly swings right and does the same once again, causing the rest of the Sanitized Octolings to take a strategic retreat to a safe distance as to not be hit by the roller at point blank range.

Now that they’re no longer surrounded, Three and Eight get a better look at the person who’s come to save them, and they instantly realize that it’s Callie. She’s got a fire in her eyes that they’ve never seen before, but all the same, they’re thankful she’s here.

“To the window!” Callie commands as she swings her roller like a bat into a Sanitized Octoling that thought charging at her was a good idea. Callie throws out a splat bomb and swings her roller down, the explosion and the strike creating an opening for them to all get to the window through.

Three and Eight look at the window and spot something they hadn’t expected, they spot Marie standing on what looks to be the deck of a helicopter, like the one that Pearl and Marina arrived in to save Eight when she escaped the Metro. Marie throws a similar disk onto the window to the one Three had thrown on the one in Zod’s office previously, and within moments the glass pane has shattered, and Marie is providing cover fire with her charger. Zod himself is now nowhere to be seen, he must have ran and hid like a coward.

Quickly, Three and Eight make their way towards the window. Three fires several shots at any Sanitized Octolings that attempt to intercept them, with Callie following close behind providing cover for them to make their escape. High pressure ink whizzes past them as Marie takes out several targets with her charger allowing them a clear path to the window. Three takes a few shots to the side to keep any approaching Octolings from getting too close, and Eight swings her brush to do the same from her side, they’re near the window now and almost home free.

But it doesn’t go according to plan.

A Sanitized Octoling that was thought to be dispatched manages to throw a splat bomb at the group, it clangs against the window beside the opening that was made and Three turns to the noise just in time for it to explode in her face. Three shrieks in pain as she grabs her eyes, her dualies clattering on the ground and losing her footing. Instead of getting on the helicopter, she trips on the ledge by the window and smacks her head on the platform of the helicopter, causing her to fall unconscious and slip through the gap between the window and the helicopter platform, straight towards the ground far below the club.

Eight’s eyes widen in horror, but she quickly replaces her fear with determination. She discards her OctoBrush and Ink Tank, leaping onto the helicopter platform and grabbing a parachute off the wall before leaping out the other side without a word, diving after her lover in a desperate attempt to save her life. Marie doesn’t even get the chance to try and stop her as by the time she realizes what’s happening, Eight is already plunging head first towards Three.

The wind causes Eight’s tentacles to flap wildly, but fortunately her longest ones are tied behind her head so they don’t get in the way of her seeing Three as she dives towards her. Eight slips her arms through the straps of the parachute pack, connecting the buckles around her waist and torso, tightening them down as firm as she can while she falls through the sky towards Three’s limp body. Fortunately Three’s unconscious status has her in a position where she’s providing plenty of drag so Eight can catch up to her, hopefully with enough time to pull the chute once she has. The distance between the two of them is closing rapidly and Eight stretches out her arms, ready to grab on to Three once she reaches her.

“GOTCHA!” Eight announces as she finally catches up with Three and wraps her arms around her. She holds Three tightly but quickly realizes she’s not going to be able to physically hold on to Three AND pull the cords to her parachute. Fortunately however, there’s some extra carabiners on the shoulder straps of the parachute pack and as the ground becomes larger and larger, Eight quickly tries to get them connected to the contact points on Three’s ink tank. Finally with two clicks, and some tightening down of the screws used to keep the carabiner’s from opening by accident, they’re in. “I’m sorry, this might hurt.”   
  
Eight pulls the cords on her shoulders and the parachute comes out, their descent quickly and suddenly reduced in velocity greatly. Three’s head reacts violently to the sudden change in speed and Eight winces slightly in response, Three’s likely going to have some horrible whiplash after this. But she will be ALIVE and given what seemed like was going to happen, Eight will be more than happy to help Three recover from anything she gets as a result of her saving her life.

Finally, they’re approaching the ground, maybe still a little too fast, but slowly enough that they’ll live. Eight does her best to slow them down but she can only do so much, and they crash into the unforgiving pavement and slide along it for several meters before finally coming to a stop. Eight pulls the release and the chute comes disconnected from her pack, and she simply wraps her arms around Three, holding her closely. She presses her fingers to Three’s neck and checks for a pulse and lets out a sigh of relief when she feels it, as well as the gentle rise and fall of Three’s chest as she breathes.

“Oh thank the gods. You’re going to be okay my dear, I’ve got you.” Eight kisses Three’s forehead and chokes back a sob, she can hardly believe that she’d almost lost her. But fortunately, thanks to her quick thinking, she’d managed to keep her alive.

Soon the helicopter lands beside them and Marie runs out, helping get Eight to her feet as they carry Three to the helicopter to get her some medical attention as quick as they can. They disconnect Three from the carabiners that connect her to Eight’s parachute pack and the ink tank and parachute pack are both discarded as they lead Three on to the helicopter platform. Callie is already on the phone with the hospital that the Splatoon has a deal with, telling them to expect an emergency patient on the helicopter pad. 

Three wakes slightly, looking at Eight as she’s carried to the aircraft, she mumbles something under her breath that Eight can’t hear, but she needed to say it anyways, before falling unconscious once again.

Eight feels that Three just told her something important, but not being able to clarify what was said before Three passed out means she won’t get to find out any time soon. She simply presses another kiss to Three’s forehead and takes hold of her hand, hoping that there’s nothing major wrong with her partner after that nearly deadly fall.

  
The words Three spoke that Eight couldn’t hear?   
  
“I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for this arc folks! As always there will be a one week Hiatus between this chapter and the next one, see you all on the 15th!


End file.
